1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power-supply unit that is used in hybrid automobiles, electric automobiles or the like, a busbar module that constitutes the power-supply unit and a wire arrangement body that constitutes the busbar module.
2. Background Art
For example, a power-supply unit that is shown in JP-A-2009-43637 (WO 2009/022521A1) is mounted in various automobiles such as electric automobiles that run using an electric motor, hybrid automobiles that run using an engine and an electric motor together and the like, as the electric power source of the electric motor. The power-supply unit includes a battery assembly having a plurality of batteries in which a positive electrode is provided in one end and a negative electrode is provided in the other end, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode are alternatively arranged adjacent to each other; and a busbar module that is overlapped in a surface in which the electrodes of the battery assembly are provided.
An example of the busbar module that is used in the power-supply unit is shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9C. The busbar module 101 as shown in each drawing includes a plurality of busbars 103 that connects between the electrodes of the adjacent batteries of the battery assembly not shown in the drawings so as to connect a plurality of batteries in series, a plurality of terminals 104 that is overlapped in each busbar 103 and are simultaneously connected to the electrode of each battery so as to be used for detecting the voltage of the battery, a plurality of wires 105 attached (connected) in each terminal 104, and a plate 106 as a wire arrangement body receiving a plurality of busbars 103, a plurality of terminals 104 and a plurality of wires 105. Also, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a plurality of wires 105 is omitted. And, an arrow X in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 shows the arrangement direction of a plurality of batteries.
The plate 106 includes a plurality of first receiving portions 160, a plurality of second receiving portions 164 as wire arrangement groove portions, a plurality of third receiving portions 168 and a plurality of lid portions 167.
The first receiving portion 160 is formed substantially in a tank shape including a bottom wall portion having a rectangular shape, and a peripheral wall portion that is vertically disposed from the surrounding edge of the bottom wall portion, so that the busbars 103 and terminals 104 are received in the first receiving portion 160. Also, a plurality of the first receiving portions 160 is aligned in a row so that the longitudinal direction thereof follows along the arrangement direction (the arrow X direction) of a plurality of batteries. Also, the adjacent first receiving portions 160 are connected to each other.
The second receiving portion 164 is formed in groove shape having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a plurality of wires 105 is received in the second receiving portion 164. A plurality of the second receiving portions 164 is adjacent to each other and aligned in a row so that the longitudinal direction thereof follows along the arrangement direction (the arrow X direction). A row including a plurality of second receiving portions 164 is arranged with a gap and in parallel to the row including a plurality of first receiving portions 160. Also, a plurality of the first receiving portions 160 and a plurality of the second receiving portions 164 are communicated by a plurality of the third receiving portions formed as a tank shape.
The lid portion 167 is formed in the rectangular shape and covers the second receiving portion 164 so as to close the groove opening 198 of the second receiving portion 164. In the lid portion 167, one of both edge portions (the long side portions) facing each other along the width direction (the arrow Y direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (the arrow X direction)) is connected to the second receiving portion 164 through the first hinge 191. The lid portion 167 is provided in the second receiving portion 164 to be opened/closed about the first hinge 191 as the center of the rotation.
Also, a lock click 194 that engages with the click receiving portion 193 provided on the outer surface of the second receiving portion 164 is provided in the other edge portion of the lid portion 167. The lock click 194 engages with the click receiving portion 193 so that the state in which the lid portion 167 is covered by the second receiving portion 164 is maintained (in other words, closed).
Also, a plurality of notch portions 195 that has a substantially rectangular shape is provided in the other edge portion of the some lid portions 167 so as to take out the wire 105 that was arranged in the second receiving portion 164. Generally, the wire 105 is taken out from the end opening 199 of the second receiving portion that is arranged in the end of a plurality of the second receiving portions 164 being aligned in a row, however for example, in the arrangement position of the power-supply unit provided on the automobiles, the wire is taken out from the second receiving portion 164 that is arranged in near the center, so that there is a case that the wire 105 can be easily arranged in automobiles and the like. For this reason, the notch portion 195 is provided.
The wire drawing piece 196 is connected to the bottom edge of the notch portion 195 (in other words, the edge portion facing to the opening of the notch portion 195), through the second hinge 192. The wire drawing piece 196 is rotatably provided about the second hinge 192 as the center of rotation in the lid portion 167. A plurality of wires 105 that is taken out through the notch portion 195 from the second receiving portion 164 is attached to the wire drawing piece 196 by the tape 197 as a constraining member. Thus, the wire drawing piece 196 supports the plurality of wires 105 so that the plurality of wires 105 follows along a predetermined direction (the direction from the rear side to the front side in FIG. 8 or the Z direction in FIGS. 9A to 9C).
Thus, in the above described busbar module 101, the plurality of wires 105 is received and arranged in the second receiving portion 164 in which the groove opening 198 is sealed by the lid portion 167, so that the wires can be protected from the contact with the other members or the impact from the outside and the disadvantage of the cut, short or the like of the plurality of wires 105 can be prevented.
However, in the busbar module 101 (that is, plate 106), the first hinge 191 and the second hinge 192 are arranged in parallel along X direction (front side-rear side direction in FIGS. 9A to 9C), so that usually, a plurality of wires 105 is received in the second receiving portion 164 as shown in FIG. 9A, and when the plurality of wires 105 is taken out from the notch portion 195 that is provided in the lid portion 167 and is pulled tight, a tensile force F1 which is pulled upward along the arrow Z direction shown in FIG. 9A is also added to the wire drawing piece 196, thus a rotation force F2 (that is, a force that turns up the lid portion 167 about the first hinge 191 as the center of rotation) that rotates the lid portion 167 about the first hinge 191 as the center of rotation is generated by the force F1, so that there is a concern that the lid portion 167 may be opened. Thus, the lid portion 167 is opened, so that the wire 105 is nipped between the second receiving portion 164 and the lid portion 167 (bite of the wire) as shown in FIG. 9B, or the wire 105 is deviated from the second receiving portion 164 as shown in FIG. 9C, so that it is a problem that a plurality of wires 105 is not protected.